WASHINGTON, D.C.—At its core, today’s hearing is about the millions of Americans who drive to work, the grocery store, or carpool their kids to school and activities everyday.
It is about their safety and their security – and nothing is more important than that.
We are all here today because we know that something has gone terribly wrong – the system meant to safeguard against faulty vehicles has failed and it needs to be fixed – immediately.
This is an important hearing – one we have dedicated an entire day to so we can examine the problems and get to solutions.
It is most immediately about the Toyota recalls, but more broadly and just as urgently about the safety oversight system and how to fix it.
It’s not just for some future problem, but right now today in order to get to the bottom of the dangers of sudden acceleration not addressed in the recalls.
I believe the way we respond to this serious situation will – and must – have a lasting impact on the car maker and its employees, on the federal agency charged with overseeing safety, and on the confidence of the public for years to come.
This morning’s hearing will focus on the government’s role and this afternoon we will focus on the company’s role in this serious situation.
It is no secret that Toyota is an important company in America – not only to my home state of West Virginia but to our national economy. The car maker operates 10 plants across the country employing 35,000 workers and dealerships in all 50 states.
I worked very hard to bring a Toyota Engine and Transmission Plant to Buffalo, West Virginia because I knew Toyota was a company built on the philosophy of quality first – that if they designed and built the safest and most reliable cars possible, then sales and profits would follow.
Now, it is clear that somewhere along the way public safety took a back seat and corporate profits drove the company’s decisions.
If Toyota wants to remain successful and regain consumer confidence – it needs to find this balance once again.
Toyota’s consumers and its incredible employees deserve nothing less.
It is also apparent that the government – NHTSA – didn’t fulfill its responsibility in the past and has more to do in the present – and needs greater resources and authority in the future.
NHTSA’s actions – and inactions – in the years leading up to today are deeply troubling.
The American people count on NHTSA to protect them and to provide them with clear and reliable safety information – and even today that picture is not clear.
And what’s more – the American people do not yet clearly understand how this happened and how it will be solved; which defects have been addressed and what dangers remain; and what the recalls are fixing and what they are not.
So – we need to look back and focus forward.
We will hear from Toyota executives how these problems occurred and why the company did not respond more quickly.
But I also want to know what Toyota’s plans are to fix the ongoing problems with sudden acceleration and set itself on a new course to identify needed recalls earlier in the future and prevent new defects.
We will hear from NHTSA and DOT officials why they did not adequately connect the dots about this safety situation and why they did not move aggressively to investigate.
But I also want to know NHTSA’s plan to get to the bottom of sudden acceleration industry-wide and to make sure it has the resources and authority to fulfill its mission.
And last but certainly not least – we will hear from the Center for Auto Safety about the best and most effective path to success for all involved.
I do intend to work on comprehensive legislation to get at all of these issues in a real way – we need to look at current law and ask if it is strong enough to prevent something like this from happening again.
I know my colleagues have much to contribute to this effort and I welcome it.
The American people deserve a top-to-bottom review, not just of past errors but of the road ahead.
They deserve more than reassurances – they deserve full disclosure, accountability and solutions.
Thank you to all of our witnesses participating today for working with our committee – I look forward to hearing from you all.
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